FROM THE MAYOR’S OFFICE – Knit One

Over the past year many, many volunteers have been working to make the Sesquicentennial Year memorable. It has been fun on many levels. One of the most satisfying aspects has been the camaraderie that comes with working together.

Up and down our Main Street are whimsical knitted panels adorning our street trees. This is an art project organized by local artist, Pat Foxx. They symbolize the very thing the Sesquicentennial activities have been working to accomplish – knitting Warwick together. What does that mean? Well, at our Committee meetings we have a cross section of spirited volunteers, some old-timers, some newcomers and some just lovers of all things Warwick. Yes, it takes a village and then some. Behind the scenes has been a dedicated team and I am sure they will never forget this year where the sun has never set on activities.

We are now preparing for a gala long weekend August 2-5.  It is the strength and creativity of our volunteers that will make it happen. It is also the generous financial support of many local businesses that will make it a very special celebration. Our Platinum Sponsor, Jones Chemical, will be the reason for a most remarkable fireworks display. Other major sponsors include Bon Secours and Warwick Tomatoes who are making the magnificent float parade possible. It is the generosity of Shoprite, Tectonic Engineering, Barton and Loguidice Engineering, Tam, Key Bank, Warwick Valley B&B and WTBQ Radio and the Landmark that are supporting the concerts and other activities of the week.

It is of course the many organizations, businesses and individuals that are involved as well. Whether it is the Rotary shouldering the cost of a new time capsule or the beautifully designed time capsule by Architect Dave Brandt that we’ll use at the end of the year for special documents or the Knights of Columbus doing a watermelon eating contest or the helping hands of the Lions Club, the American Legion, VFW, the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Town of Warwick, the Warwick Town Police, the Warwick Ambulance Corp, the Warwick Fire Department, the Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Guild, the Library, the School District, the Warwick Community Center, our Churches and Temples, the Masons, the Order of the Odd Fellows, the Warwick Valley Gardeners, Warwick in Bloom, the Warwick Art Guild, DJ Christopher Ford, Warwick General Rental, our restaurant community, our arts community, Sustainable Warwick, Community 2000, the Warwick Arts Festival, and our remarkable Historical Society.

It is Jean Claude’s Patisserie conjuring a remarkable celebratory cake and the ongoing support of the media, Mark Damia, the Warwick Dispatch and Advertiser and WTBQ as well as our local printers and sign makers, Warwick Press, Signorama and Giant Copy who have all been generous with helping us get the word out. On a municipal level our DPW has been stellar even before the apple dropped and the Office staff at Village Hall; always there and fielding the many calls from the public. And of course, thank you to the Village Board who has been an important compass and has kept a sense of humor throughout. The year is not over and the list continues to grow.

So you see a lot of knitting going on! Who would’ve thought that it would be so much fun!

The next Village Board meeting will take place Monday, August 7th, at 7:30 pm in Village Hall.